Odds are that Pujols is just getting a little extra rest. Unless and until there’s any indication to the contrary, it seems fair to assume that the team is simply taking advantage of having an away series against a National League opponent followed by the All-Star break.

Certainly, there were no evident ill effects last night, when Pujols drove two balls out of the yard. He has been more useful with the bat this year than last, with a .251/.291/.432 slash line in 368 plate appearances, but the once-great hitter is still not showing signs of delivering anything approaching production commensurate with his massive contract.

This should be stopped. There should be a requirement to submit medical evidence or even an independent exam. 10 day DL perhaps should be raised back to 15. If not permanently, what about just leading up to the all star break?

I don’t disagree necessarily but the 10 day DL has in my view been abused with this the latest and most obvious apparent incident. He looked old but not injured rounding the bases yesterday and age is part of the roster construction.

Cakirby, I’d bring Thaiss up for the year and release AP. AP has ZERO trade value, and you have to pay him one way or the other. If your gonna pay him at least put the best team and the future on the field. This season is over PERIOD

Understand this season is done and this team needs to look to the future. AP is nothing special. What special is Trout always on base in front of him. That’s this teams problem, they live in the past rather than growing to the future.

Without a doubt, he could retire today and I’d vote him into the HOF as a Cardinal tomorrow . As an Angel…. one could argue the worst contract in baseball history. Just look at AP stats as an Angel. Now take Trouts .475 obp away from AP and we really have the .240 hitter looking bad.

If it isn’t, they’re certainly close. I think the only players that haven’t been injured are Valbuena, Upton, and Anderson (other than the pen guys that haven’t been around for most of the year). Trout hasn’t gone on the DL, but was injured for a week.

If he was 1st in games played/PA he’d probably be 1st in Hits, Runs, etc. That’s because playing time = accumulated numbers, even when the rates are atrocious. And ohh are those rates atrocious on him

As far as RBI, he hits 4th behind the greatest player of this generation – his RBI should honestly be much higher than they even are considering it’s one of, if not the best RBI spot in the entire game.

You can put nearly anyone behind a guy with an almost 50% OBP and they will drive him in a ton of times.

But let’s put it this way. Ian Desmond has a few less PA than Pujols. Desmond has the same SLG as Pujols. Desmond doesn’t bat behind Trout though, he bats 6th/7th/8th – and yet Desmond has more RBI than Albert.

Crawford was a 7 year deal. Jason Warth was even worse than Pujols contract. Pujols deal was, about getting the biggest TV possible for the Angels. All the other players, were just teams over spending on border line All Star players.